Aurora Driver for Schneider
Aurora Innovation, Inc. (NASDAQ: AUR), a leading autonomous vehicle company, and Schneider National, Inc. (NYSE: SNDR), a premier multimodal provider of transportation services, announced a multiphase commercial pilot to haul freight for Schneider’s customers with the Aurora Driver, Aurora’s autonomous technology. This pilot reflects an important step for Schneider toward understanding how to incorporate autonomous trucks into its fleet to improve efficiencies and address the growing demand to move goods.
“Understanding more about an autonomous future is the logical next step to build a network that continues to deliver the best service for our customers,” said Rob Reich, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at Schneider.
Schneider hauls freight on over 9.3 million miles a day for America’s biggest companies, creating an attractive value proposition for autonomous trucks that can haul freight 24/7/365. The Aurora Driver will begin weekly autonomous hauls this week between Dallas and Houston with Aurora vehicle operators on board. Load frequency is expected to increase as Schneider expands its relationship with Aurora.
Working with Schneider will be instrumental as Aurora makes progress toward delivering Aurora Horizon, its subscription-based autonomous trucking product. The pilot will strengthen and prepare Aurora Horizon in three important areas ahead of its launch:
- Autonomy at scale – The Aurora Driver learns from every load it hauls autonomously. As the scale of these pilots increases, so does the Aurora Driver’s experience.
- Vehicle readiness – Weekly hauls allow Aurora to test the durability of its next-generation trucks, based on PACCAR’s Peterbilt 579M, for commercial operation and deployment.
- Premium service – Aurora’s fourth commercial pilot enables one of the industry’s largest carriers to play a crucial role in testing and validating Aurora’s product and service.
“Schneider has a reputation for delivering consistent and reliable service, evidenced by the sheer number of Fortune 500 customers. Preparing Aurora Horizon for prime-time with Schneider springloads our ability to deploy our product at scale in the years to come,” said Sterling Anderson, Aurora’s Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer.
Aeva & SICK AG Partner
Aeva® (NYSE: AEVA), a leader in next-generation sensing and perception systems, and SICK AG today announced a strategic multi-year collaboration to bring Aeva’s FMCW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) 4D LiDAR™ to a variety of industrial sensing applications including long range sensing, starting with Aeries™ II.
“We are pleased to partner with Aeva and work closely together to bring its FMCW technology to high performance industrial sensing applications,” said Dr. Niels Syassen, Member of the Executive Board responsible for Technology and Digitization at SICK. “We are convinced that their unique approach to FMCW technology, which includes instant velocity detection and long range performance, will provide new opportunities for us and our customers in a variety of industrial sensing applications where traditional time of flight LiDAR technologies are challenged.”
Aeva’s FMCW 4D LiDAR technology provides unique perception advantages over other sensing technologies like cameras and legacy 3D LiDAR sensors. This includes better dynamic range performance to perceive low and high reflectivity targets within the same measurement without edge effects, allowing automated machinery to transition easily from indoor to outdoor operation. Because Aeva’s technology is immune to blooming and ghosting from retroreflectors, automated machines using Aeva’s 4D LiDAR will have clear perception when highly reflective objects such as safety vests, cones and tape are in the field of view of the sensor. The technology clearly detects low and highly reflective objects such as safety vests, pylons and adhesive tapes in the sensor’s field of view. FMCW helps increase reliability and efficiency in demanding 3D applications.
Innoviz Wins
Innoviz Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: INVZ) (the “Company” or “Innoviz”) announced that its recent design win is with CARIAD SE.
“We are thrilled to work with the CARIAD team and be a supplier of LiDAR sensors and perception software to support safe mobility for vehicles launching from the middle of the decade,” said Innoviz CEO and Co-Founder, Omer Keilaf. “CARIAD is a leading player in the transformation of the whole automotive space. We are proud to be part of their mission.”
About Innoviz Technologies
Innoviz is a global leader in LiDAR technology, working towards a future with safe autonomous vehicles on the world’s roads. Innoviz’s LiDAR and perception software “see” better than a human driver and reduce the possibility of error, meeting the automotive industry’s strictest expectations for performance and safety. Operating across the U.S., Europe, and Asia, Innoviz has been selected by internationally-recognized premium car brands for use in consumer vehicles as well as by other commercial and industrial leaders for a wide range of use cases. For more information, visit innoviz-tech.com.
Solo AVT Begins Testing
Solo Advanced Vehicle Technologies (Solo AVT), the vehicle hardware company revolutionizing the freight transportation industry, announced it appointed Paul Jones as Chief Legal Officer and Mengwei Campbell as Senior Director of Vehicle Controls, as well as hired ten engineering staff members to further progress the development and testing of the SD1, its long-haul battery-electric Class 8 truck tailored specifically for autonomous driving. Jones will serve as legal counsel and lead regulatory and compliance responsibilities. Campbell joins from Faraday where she was the Global Director of Propulsion Control and Software and the company’s first technical hire. The new senior engineering staff bring extensive industry experience from Ford, Nuro, Fisker, and more.
Already comprised of top industry experts from Tesla, Waymo, and BMW, gaining leading industry talent further accelerates Solo AVT’s ability to make clean freight transportation a reality. In Q2, the company revealed the design and specifications of the SD1 and also acquired new office facilities in Fremont, California which will serve as its headquarters.
“Developing a first-of-its-kind, clean-sheet truck design takes innovation and precision that only a high caliber of talent can achieve. Each individual’s unique expertise will be essential to our growth as a company, and most significantly, to achieving our mission to decarbonize the freight industry,” said Graham Doorley, CEO and founder, Solo Advanced Vehicle Technologies. “We are thrilled that others share the same passion for decarbonization and autonomy that we do, and look forward to the collaboration and expansion to come.”
In August 2022 – less than a year after the company began – Solo AVT will begin test driving its first truck, a battery-electric, Class 8 vehicle that will be teleoperated and essential ahead of testing the SD1, which is expected to begin in early 2023. Solo AVT’s engineering and design team have also begun work on the test platform for its powertrain or Sled. The powertrain test platform, delivered in Q2 2022, is currently being modified with equipment from battery, e-axle, and steering suppliers.
“It’s very exciting to be a part of a nimble and fast-paced team, focused on providing a cutting-edge product that’s revolutionizing the industry and creating a better future for everyone,” said Grant Smith, Senior Powertrain Engineer, Solo AVT.